Today I’m going to explain step-by-step how to make and store your Super Salads and tomorrow we’ll talk about how to prepare the dressing.
I recommend going grocery shopping and doing your prep work on SUNDAY so you get the freshest ingredients possible. If for some reason it’s easier for you to go shopping and do your prep work on Saturday (or any other day of the week) that’s OK! No big deal! Do whatever works best for YOU and your schedule. You can always start eating your salads before the rest of the group.
The recipe I’m going to share will give you enough salad to eat for 5 consecutive days. Typically what I do is eat one salad on the same day I make them, and then I have 4 already prepped for the rest of the week (or weekend).
OK, so before we get going on the ingredients, let’s talk briefly on how to make sure your salads stay fresh during the week.
Storage Containers
Yes, you can prepare a salad on Sunday and it will still be fresh enough to eat on Friday. Don’t let that freak you out! Just make sure you keep your salads stored in the refrigerator and choose the freshest ingredients possible from the grocery store (or local market if you’re lucky enough to have one). I’ve been doing this for over 2 years now and I haven’t had any problems or sickness. 🙂
I typically like to use the flat, rectangular plastic storage containers like the ones you see pictured below . On the label it should say that they hold 76 fluid ounces or 9.5 cups. These stack up nicely in your frig and make it nice and easy to mix up your salad once it’s time to eat. Of course, you are welcome to use whatever storage containers you have as long as they are big enough. I bought mine at Kroger but you should be able to find something similar at pretty much any type of grocery store that’s in your area. You’ll need 5 containers.
Another storage option for your salads is glass jars. You’ll definitely want to use the quart-size with wide-mouth lids. I think glass jars do a SLIGHTLY better job of keeping food fresh for a longer period of time (plus they look pretty spiffy all lined up in the refrigerator) but I usually prefer to use plastic containers for my salads. Glass jars can be kinda awkward and heavy if you have to take them to work. Plus, you need to dump the salad out into a different container in order to eat it, so that’s one more thing you have to worry about (and clean).
But like I said…they look pretty and fancy! And when your food looks pretty and fancy you’re more inclined to eat it. 🙂
At the end of the day it’s all about your personal preference, so you may need to experiment to find out what works best for YOU.
Ingredients
OK just a heads up…these are the ingredients that *I* like and you might prefer something else. This list is just to give you an idea and a starting point. Remember that chart I shared yesterday with all of the nutrient dense vegetables? That’s a GREAT list to refer to when you’re looking at what ingredients to add to your salad.
For the base of the salad you will need:
- 1 LB mixed greens. I typically buy the HALF AND HALF which has half spinach leaves and half spring mix but the pure BABY SPRING MIX works great too. Both of these come in a big plastic container.
- 4 oz. sprouts (check the SELL BY date to make sure you buy the freshest container possible, you may need to do a little digging). These can be any kind of sprouts that you can find…you’ll find them in the produce section. There may be different selections such as sandwich sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, onion sprouts etc. My best advice is to pick whatever variety looks the freshest and avoid anything that looks dull, watery, or soggy. The stems should be bright white, not brown.
If the sprouts look too questionable just avoid them altogether. Sometimes they can be hit or miss. When sprouts are good they totally boost the taste of your salad but when they’re squishy it will just make you sad.To be honest I haven’t added sprouts to my Super Salad since Bubsie came along just because it’s one extra step I didn’t want to deal with so your salad will be perfectly fine without them.
But again…totally up to you!
- 10 oz. bag of shredded carrots. Or, you can buy whole carrots and shred them yourself or use a food processor. In this case I choose convenience and to make your initial salad prep less overwhelming I recommend you do the same!
- 2 large cucumbers, sliced and chopped (I typically leave the seeds but feel free to remove them if they bother you.)
- 2 red peppers, sliced and chopped
- 1 small to medium size jicama (it looks like a giant round potato). Some grocery stores like to keep them in the refrigerated area of the produce section. If you’ve never had jicama before I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised. It has the texture of a potato but tastes slightly sweet like an apple. If you can’t find it in your store don’t be afraid to ask for help! I’m sure it’s there somewhere! Oh and BTW it’s pronounced ‘hicama’. The J is silent! 🙂
I know jicamas are a pain in the butt to chop up, so I would consider this to be an “optional” item. It adds a nice bit of crunch to your salad but feel free to omit if you’re pressed for time. This is another ingredient I’ve omitted after having Bubsie. If you like radishes they would probably be easier to deal with and would make a good substitute.
Here’s a YouTube video that explains how to cut a jicama:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjQ8KSc-qzw
- 2 pints cherry/grape tomatoes, sliced in half or quarters
- 1 lb. bag raw cashews (see below for prep instructions)
You’ll also want to choose ONE of the following for a protein boost:
- 2 cans chickpeas/garbanzo beans (if you prefer to follow a more plant-based diet)
- 3 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cut in half (aka butterflied)
Salad Assembly
As soon as you get home from the grocery store and get settled in, you’ll want to begin chopping the veggies and prepping your salads. If at all possible, don’t even put any of the groceries away! (OK, except maybe the chicken!)
First, divide the mixed greens evenly into 5 plastic containers. I grab a handful, and keep putting one in each container until all the greens are gone. It doesn’t have to be exact, you can just eyeball the containers to make sure they all have about the same amount of greens.
Then simply add the remaining ingredients and continue to divide them evenly.
I typically add everything in the following order:
Greens > sprouts > carrots > cucs > peppers > jicama > tomatoes
TIP: Put the empty plastic container from your mixed greens next to where you chop your veggies (I keep mine in the sink) and you can use that as a mini garbage can to hold unwanted remnants from your cucs, peppers, and jicama. Then when you’re done chopping you can dispose of everything (or toss into compost pile if you have one) when you’re done.
If you choose to use chickpeas for your protein source, you’ll want to drain and rinse them and then add 1/2 cup to each salad.
If you use glass jars instead of plastic containers you’ll build your salad the same way. Some people prefer to add the veggies first and then the greens on top but it shouldn’t make a huge difference either way. Sometimes the greens will be less soggy at the end of 5 days if you put them at very top of the jar and the cucumbers at the very bottom so feel free to experiment. 🙂
Cashew Prep
I toast raw cashews 1 cup at a time so they are always ready when I need them. I just put them on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler for a minute or two until they start to sizzle and turn slightly brown. Be sure to watch them CLOSELY otherwise they will burn very quickly under the broiler and you will be a very sad panda!! You can also toast the cashews on the stovetop in a pan but I’ve never done it that way. The broiler method is quick and easy for me!
Now you’re probably wondering, Why in the world do I need to toast the cashews??
Toasting the cashews REALLY brings out the flavor and they will taste WAY better in your salad. You can buy roasted cashews in the store, but they will also be salted. This is additional salt that you really don’t need to have in your diet. I like to buy raw cashews and toast them myself but it IS an extra step. Again, it’s just a personal preference!
Once the cashews are toasted you’ll want to chop them up into little bits. I have a little manual nut chopper that looks like this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HJXM2M Or you can always put the cashews in a sturdy ziploc bag and go crazy and smash them on the counter, stomp on them, and do whatever you need to do to break them up. If you have kids they might like to help out with this project!
IMPORTANT: Don’t add cashews to your salad until the day you eat it. If you add them on meal prep day they’ll turn sad and soggy. Gross! So once they’re chopped up you’ll want to store them in a separate container. In the morning before you leave for work scoop out 2 tablespoons onto your salad and you’re good to go!!
Chicken Prep
For each salad you’ll want to add 3-4 oz. of cooked and shredded (or chopped) chicken. Now there’s a couple of different options here depending on how much time you have to invest in your meal prep.
You can:
1. Buy pre-packaged cooked chicken. These contain additional ingredients which may be somewhat questionable and I don’t really recommend using this option as a long-term solution. But when you’re just getting started I think it’s perfectly fine!
2. Buy a couple of rotisserie chickens from the store and pull off the meat. A little more time consuming, but probably faster than cooking the chicken yourself. Now, I’m kinda lucky because the store where I typically shop (Meijer) sells rotisserie chicken that’s already been pulled off the bone! This is a win-win because it’s much less processed compared to other pre-packaged chicken BUT it’s still super convenient. You might want to see if the store where you shop has this option too.
3. Cook the chicken breasts yourself. This option is the most time consuming but it also delivers the most flavor. You can cook the chicken however you like, but my preferred method is the crock pot. You can see how I do that here: http://www.amandakjones.com/how-to-meal-prep-chicken-in-the-crock-pot.php
Like the cashews, I typically don’t add the chicken until the same day I eat the salad. I just think it stays a little moister that way. However, if you’re super-pressed for time in the morning it’s not a big deal if you add it to all of your salads on meal prep day. 3-4 oz. cooked chicken typically works out to about 1/2 of a chicken breast. You can either keep your chicken in one big container and take out whatever you need each day, or you can divide out each portion into a ziploc bag. Whatever works best for you!
OK, so there you have it! Besides the dressing, that should be everything you need to know to prep a super salad you can eat for lunch every day during the week! I know at first it might seem a little overwhelming but just like anything else it takes practice. And you don’t have to do all of this in ONE marathon session (I typically don’t!!), you can break it up and just do what you can when you can.
For example, if you don’t have time to assemble all your salads you can simply take a few minutes to chop up your cucs or tomatoes and store them for later. Or you can cook your chicken while you’re making another meal so it’s one less thing you have to do later. And once you toast your cashews you won’t have to worry about cashews again until another 3-4 salad rotations. Each time you prep your salads the process will probably look slightly different and THAT’S OK!!
You are still doing an AWESOME job!! And it will get easier the more you do it…I PROMISE!!
And by the way, don’t worry about writing down all the ingredients yet…in tomorrow’s lesson I’ll give you a shopping list that will be easy for you to print out or save to your phone. 🙂
YOUR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Did I forget anything??
I know that was a lot of information and you might have questions.
If everything is clear as mud go ahead and give yourself a big ol’ pat on the back and say, “I AM AWESOME SAUCE!”
If not, don’t worry…you’re still awesome. 🙂 But go ahead and post your question(s) in the group under the daily post.
Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/657486854452159/permalink/661503167383861/
Great job today and I’ll see you again tomorrow!!
